Brazil Stops Auto Theft in its Tracks with GPS

The Brazilian government has mandated that all new manufactured vehicles must be equipped with a GPS anti-theft device. In some areas of Brazil, a car is stolen as often as every 3 minutes. The problem is not limited to property crime though. Many of these thefts involve violent assault and some are even killed for their vehicle.

rmtracking.com/photos-theft3.jpg” WIDTH=”300″ HEIGHT=”135″ style=”float: right; BORDER=”0″ ALT=”Auto Theft”> Many of the stolen vehicles are being taken from an area of town that is so unsafe that no one will go there, not even the police will go there alone. In fact, the area is so dangerous that a special auto theft recovery team of off-duty police officers was established to recover stolen vehicles in these dangerous parts of town.

The new anti-theft systems being installed in the vehicles should significantly reduce auto theft in Brazil. In the event that a vehicle is stolen, the owner would call a phone number to a control center that will send a signal to the GPS device and dispatch police. The signal sent to the device is said to literally stop the vehicle in its tracks, according to BBC News. The police then track the vehicle via GPS and respond to recover it.

Brazil may be a little skeptical about this technology working to reduce their theft rates, but there’s no doubt it works. Here in the United States we recover hundreds of vehicles every year with GPS tracking. Obviously, we cannot use their same method of stopping a vehicle in its tracks as that would pose a general safety hazard, but we use other features that are very effective.

Rocky Mountain Tracking offers a solution that will simply disable the starter with the click of a mouse in the online web-based software. This will ensure the vehicle remains in its current location long enough for an officer to respond and recover the vehicle. Other tactics such as starving the fuel supply can be implemented, but it is highly discouraged due to the safety risk of leaving a vehicle stranded in the middle of the road.

In the United States a vehicle is stolen about every 25 seconds. However, during the current economic downturn, theft has increased significantly. Even shoplifting is up by as much as 20%, and stores are reportedly losing an estimated $35 million every day. The exact figures for auto theft in 2008 have not been released yet, but unofficial reports indicate that auto this is on the rise.

If you are looking to protect your vehicle with a GPS anti-theft device, the time is right. Be sure to do your research before you buy. If you have questions about anti-theft device technology, call an expert at Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc. at 877-477-9668.